The Red Dress
by iloveromance
Summary: As an exhausted Niles sleeps, he unconsciously reveals a secret to Daphne that unexpectedly causes her some unease. And suddenly she is determined to make it up to him. A continuation of "Rest" by Kristen3


"All right Mrs. Woodson, I'll tell him. Thank you so much for everything and especially for offering to take care of David. I know that Niles means well and I love him so much for being such a wonderful husband and father, but I can't help but think that this is my fault. If I hadn't made those insensitive comments about how I was getting worn out-well, thank you Mrs. Woodson. That's very sweet of you to say. I'll make sure that Niles gets his rest. Poor thing was asleep before his head hit the pillow. I have to admit that I'm getting tired myself. It will be nice to have a few days to relax and I promise to call you when I'm ready to take you up on your offer to watch David. I guess I'd better check on him and Niles so I can get some rest. Take care, Mrs. Woodson. Yes, I promise to do my best to keep Niles' mind off of work, although that's not going to be easy. Have a nice night. Goodbye."

With a sigh, Daphne hung up the phone and turned out the light. It was much earlier than her normal bedtime, but she was exhausted just the same. She could hardly wait to climb into bed and fall asleep, snuggled against the man she loved. But first she had to check on the younger man in her life.

As quietly as possible, she entered David's room, smiling when she saw that he was awake.

"There's my sweet boy."

She wasted no time in going to him, lifting him out of his crib to kiss his soft cheek.  
"Mommy loves you very much and so does Daddy. But Daddy's very tired from taking care of us so I'm letting him sleep and get the rest he needs."

She cradled David against her chest and quickly changed and fed him before returning him to his crib.  
"Goodnight, Sweetheart" She whispered as she turned out the light.

Her heart raced with anticipation when she entered the master bedroom, but then calmed when she saw that Niles was still sound asleep. She quickly showered and changed into her nightgown eager to climb into bed beside him. He drew her into his arms almost immediately and kissed her cheek.

The gesture made her sigh. Even in his dreamlike state, he was still the most loving man she'd ever known.

"Are you all right, Niles?" She whispered into his ear.

"Mm... better than all right, my love." He responded, his eyes still closed. "You look so beautiful."  
Daphne laughed at the comment. "My, you must be tired! I hardly look attractive in this dull old nightgown and me hair all a mess!"

"You're beautiful." He said again. "In your red dress... you're the most beautiful angel I've ever seen. Will you dance another tango with me? Please?"

Again she laughed. "A tango? Oh Niles, I haven't done that in years and I'm wearing a pale purple nightgown that I've had for ages! In fact, I think it was in me bag when I first arrived at your brother's house for me interview! Although I really should go shopping for a new one as soon as possible."

"Kiss me, Daphne... Kiss me the way you did that night... at the Snow Ball. I was... so honored to be there with you and I... tried so hard to tell you that I loved you, but..."

The words stunned her and she could hardly believe what he was hearing. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness but suddenly she had to know what he meant. Confused, she moved closer to him and stroked his hair. "But what, Darling?"

"You... called me an... actor. But I wasn't... acting Daphne. It was... real. I loved you so much; even then...from the first moment I met you."

She gasped suddenly remembering the events of that evening. It seemed so long ago but she would cherish it always. Niles was such a gentleman and she had such a wonderful time. He was an incredible dancer as they tangoed, waltzed and sambaed the night away.

She could tell that Maris' friends were impressed and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she was glad when they appeared to be jealous. But the things he said that night never left her mind... and now she knew why. As if on cue, everything began to fall into place.

At that moment, she'd never been more ashamed, and her eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. How could she have hurt him that way? It was years ago and it was ridiculous to be getting upset over it, but the thought that she was the one who hurt him pained her very soul. Wanting so much to make amends, she kissed his sweet lips. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

His eyes opened suddenly and he sat up, blinking in surprise when he noticed that she was crying. "Daphne? What's wrong? What's happened? Is it David? Wait... where am I?"

She smiled at the way he brushed away her tears. "You're at home my darling. With David and I. Mrs. Woodson called earlier because she was worried about you, so we came to get you. Don't you remember?"

He sat up even further, running his hand through his hair. "I don't... but what about-."

"She cleared your schedule for the next few days so you'll have plenty of time to rest."

"Oh no... I can't! My patients! I can't just... abandon them like that! What will they think? I'll lose my job! This is terrible, Daphne! I-."

She silenced him with a kiss. "It's all right. They'll be fine. Mrs. Woodson took care of everything and I don't want you getting worn out any further than you already are. Now just close your eyes and rest, all right? We'll have a few days alone to do whatever we want. And I promise you that we'll go dancing again; just the two of us. I hadn't thought about that but it sounds wonderful. Now... go to sleep, all right?"

He kissed her deeply and returned his head to the pillow, sighing when she stroked his hair. "That's it... just rest, my darling."

Soon he was asleep once more and she was content to listen to the rise and fall of his chest. "Daph-ne?" He said dreamily.

"Yes, my darling?"

"Will you wear that red sequined dress... when we go dancing?"

Suddenly she relished the thought of going to the store and buying a new dress.

"Of course I will. But in the meantime why don't we just get some sleep?"

"Goodnight, sweet angel."

Daphne turned out the light and snuggled against her husband, kissing him once more.

"Goodnight, my darling."

As she fell into a deep sleep at last, she dreamt of wearing a red sequined dress, dancing in the arms of a handsome man wearing a tuxedo. She could tell as he looked deeply into her eyes that he loved her unconditionally-for she loved him just the same. And she could hardly wait to make the dream a reality, for this time it was certain to have a happy ending.

**THE END**


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